What you need
A Connect Four grid: an upright frame with seven columns and six rows, standing on two supports, and 42 discs, 21 in each of two colours. A sliding lever at the bottom releases the discs at the end of the game. The game was created by Howard Wexler and first sold by Milton Bradley in 1974; it is now a Hasbro product.
Setup
Stand the grid between the two players with the lever closed, so discs cannot fall through. Each player takes all the discs of one colour. Decide who plays first.
How to play
- Players take turns. On your turn, drop one disc into the top of any column that is not full.
- The disc falls to the lowest empty space in that column. You choose the column, not the row.
- Play alternates until one player connects four discs of their colour in a straight line: horizontally, vertically or diagonally.
You may not skip a turn, and you cannot take a disc back once it is in the grid.
Scoring and winning
The first player to make a line of four wins. If all 42 spaces fill up with no line of four, the game is a draw.
To start another game, slide the lever to empty the grid and slide it back. The official instructions say that the player who started the first game plays second in the next one, which is fair because going first is an advantage: computer analysis has shown that the first player can always force a win by starting in the middle column and playing perfectly.
Common variants
- PopOut: on your turn you may either drop a disc or pop one of your own discs out of the bottom row, which drops the whole column by one space.
- Pop 10: fill the grid row by row first, then take turns removing your own discs from the bottom. Discs that were part of a four are kept; first to collect ten wins.
- Five-in-a-Row: an extra pre-filled column on each side makes a 9-wide grid and you need five in a row.
- Bigger or smaller grids: 8×7, 9×7 or even 5×4 boards change the game; many apps offer them.
- Power Up: each player has special discs, such as an anvil that pops out every disc beneath it, usable once per game.
Tips for first games
- Start in the middle column. The centre takes part in more possible lines of four than any edge column.
- Before every move, check whether your opponent has three in a row with an open space they can reach next turn, and block it.
- Look under the space you want. If filling a column lets your opponent drop into a winning spot above, wait.
- Build two threats at once, for example a horizontal and a diagonal sharing a gap. Your opponent can block only one.
- Diagonals are the easiest lines to miss; scan for them on every turn.
Frequently asked questions
Can you win with a diagonal? Yes. Four in a row counts horizontally, vertically or diagonally.
What happens if the board fills up? It is a draw. Empty the grid and start again, with the other player going first.
Who goes first? Decide any way you like for the first game; then the first player alternates.
Is there a way to always win? With perfect play the first player can force a win by opening in the middle column, but the winning line is far too long to memorise.
How many discs does each player have? Twenty-one, enough to fill exactly half of the 42 spaces.
